John
Eshun backs call for local coach for stars
Tour
Du Ghana race launched in Accra
John
Eshun backs call for local coach for stars
Accra (Greater Accra)
29 November 2002 - Former national star and one time coach of Accra Great
Olympics, John Eshun, has added his voice to the Youth and Sports Minister
Edward Osei Kwaku's call for a local coach to handle the Black Stars.
Speaking to the GNA
Sports, coach Eshun said local coaches are the best materials to handle the
technical affairs of the national team since they know the attitude of the
Ghanaian players more than their foreign counterparts.
According to Coach
Eshun, if resources are used in developing the local coaches by sending them on
refresher courses outside the country, they would be able to provide the needed
results. "With the appropriate training for the local coaches there is no
doubt they would be capable of handling the team and taking it to greater heights".
Coach Eshun said, a
critical look at the achievements of Ghana so far indicates that most of the
successes achieved in soccer were through the efforts of the local coaches
hence the need to give them the opportunity to continue.
Coach Eshun who
returned from Benin recently after leading Dragons FC, a local club side, to
win their league said he is back for good after completing his one year contract
with the side.
On why he would not
lead the team to next years Champions League, Eshun said, he signed a one year
contract with them and it is over adding that he is not interested in coaching
them any more though he led them to win the league title. The coach said, he is
back to pick any local team, which might be interested in his services.
Commenting on the
standard of the Ghanaian league, Coach Eshun said the current trend of the
league is no too good for the development of the game in the country because
the gap between Hearts and Kotoko and other clubs is too wide. "Even
though these two clubs were dominant in the days of old, their dominance was
not as wide as it is today". Coach Eshun stated.
He said the problem
has come about as result of the movement of players from other clubs to Hearts
and Kotoko at end of every season, to enjoy better salaries and other benefits.
Coach Eshun said the
basis of the problem is lack of finance since most of the clubs do not have
enough money to manage their teams and the companies too are unwilling to
sponsor them due to economic reasons. He however expressed the hope that things
would get better in the near future if the appropriate structures are put in
place.
GRi…/
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Tour Du
Ghana race launched in Accra
Accra (Greater Accra)
29 November 2002 - The Ghana Cycling Association (GCA) on Thursday launched the
5th International Cycling Tour of Ghana dubbed "Tour Du Ghana".
The 1,117-kilometer
race is being used as basis for selecting a formidable team to represent the
country at next year's All Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria. The race begins on
Tuesday, December 3, through to 7 - starting from the offices of the Pepsi Cola
Company in Accra on the first day and ends at Mankessim.
The rest of the tour
would take the competing cyclists to Cape Coast, Takoradi, Kumasi, Koforidua
through Somanya and back to Accra for the final criterion.
Launching the tour,
Peter Affort, Chairman of the GCA, said three teams would be representing Ghana
in the tour along side other West African countries like Cote D' Ivoire, Benin,
Burkina Faso and Togo.
The three Ghanaian
teams are being selected by the Technical Committee of the GCA based on their
previous performances at similar competitions. Affort said the committee is
going to ensure that the best cyclists are selected for the event. He expressed
appreciation to companies, are supporting the event to make it a reality.
Pepsi Cola Company is
donating the yellow jersey for the leader while Pens and Plastics Limited would
give the blue and white jersey for the first cyclist who wins by points. Wienco
and Novotel Hotel would give the green and blue jersey respectively for the
best fighting cyclist and fair play cyclist while Wooden would provide the most
elegant cyclists with a white jersey.
Other sponsors of the
event are Germini Life Insurance Company, provides insurance cover for the
cyclist with Irani Brothers, Accra City News, Chez Lien Resturant as the other
sponsors of the event.
GRi…/
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